Rev. Betsy Aldrich Garland
April 5, 2009
Mark 11:1-11

A Word of Preparation for Palm Sunday

It is the time of Passover, the most important of the annual Jewish festivals.  Passover celebrates the exodus of the early Israelites from Egypt, when the angel of death “passed over” the houses of the Israelites when the first-born of the Egyptians were slain. 

Passover was, and is, a big deal.  Our Jewish friends are celebrating Passover this week when we are celebrating our Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. 

Now, Jesus and his disciples have come up to Jerusalem for the Passover.  As far as we know, this was the first and only time Jesus went to Jerusalem – an intentional trip, filled with significance.

Jesus approaches Jerusalem from the east, down the Mount of Olives, riding on a donkey, while the people chanted, “Hosanna!  Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!” 

Why the donkey?  Was he tired?  Had he sprained his ankle?  Did he think he could see better from the donkey’s back?  Well, no.  What Jesus was doing had to do with what was happening on the other side of the city.  That’s the rest of the story that we are never told. 

Since Passover was a time when revolts were likely to break out, the Roman occupiers always brought in reinforcements for the garrison that was next to the temple.  The Roman governor Pontius Pilate rode in from the west, from his headquarters on the Mediterranean, at the head of a column of imperial cavalry and foot soldiers.  Picture the scene of imperial power – horses, weapons, helmets, chariots, golden eagles mounted on poles, glinting in the sun.  There would be no uprisings this year, if they could help it!

And from the east, Jesus rides in on a little donkey.  What does it mean?  Jesus is committing what scholars of the Hebrew Bible would call a “prophetic act,” a provocative public deed to send a message, to make a point.  Jesus is acting out a passage in Zechariah (9:9-10) that tells of a humble king who would enter Jerusalem on the colt of a donkey.  He would be a king of peace, not a king of violence.  Think of this as a kind of ancient “street theater” – actions designed to draw a crowd and to convey a message.

And so we have two processions entering Jerusalem:  One, the imperial parade designed to showcase governmental power, coming to intimidate and to control.  The other, a parade of the people who called out, “Hosanna,” which means, “Save us,” led by a different kind of king, a king of peace.  Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem was actually an anti-imperial entry, a counter demonstration.1

What we celebrate on Palm Sunday is the tension between two visions of life.  Are we marching with the prince of peace for the hungry and the homeless, for the immigrants, for those without health care, for the disabled and the disenfranchised?  Or for something else...?

The challenge for the church over the centuries – and indeed for each of us – is this:  In which parade are we marching?  The one headed by imperial power?  Or the one headed by the Prince of Peace?

1. Marcus Borg, Jesus: Uncovering the Life, Teachings, and Relevance of a Religious Revolutionary, pp.230.